Dry shaving razor



United States Patent Application 1 Claim. or. 30-43 The present invention relates generally to dry shaving razors, and is particularly directed to improvements in dry shaving razors of the kind wherein a hollow roller having openings in its cylindrical wall is mounted on a handle for rotation about its longitudinal axis, and a series of cutting discs are movably disposed within the roller and are axially reciprocated to cooperate with the'roller in providing a cutting action in response to rotation or rolling of the roller across the skin surface.

A specific object of the present invention is to provide adry shaving razor of the described character having along'useful operating 1ife, particularly with respect to wearing or dulling of the axially reciprocated cutting discs.

In accordance with an aspect of this invention, the desired long useful operating life of the dry shaving razor is obtained by providing means for angularly adjusting the cutting discs about the axis of the surrounding hollow roller so that the portions of the peripheries of the cutting discs cooperating with the roller to provide a shaving action can be varied thereby to achieve uniform wear on the cutting discs.

The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent in the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dry shaving razor embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an axial sectional razor of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 isan enlarged perspective view of one of the cutting elements included in the dry shaving razor embodying the present invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, and initially to Figs. 1 and 2 thereof, it will be seen that a dry shaving razor embodying the present invention, and there generally identified by the reference numeral 20, includes a generally U-shaped handle 26 of resilient metal having legs 27 and 28 extending from the opposite ends of the side portions of the handle and laterally offset, away from each other, with respect to the related side portions of the handle, so that the legs 27 and 28 are relatively widely spaced apart. A rod 29, which may be covered by a rubber sleeve 30, extends between the legs 27 and 28 to hold the latter in the desired spaced apart relationship.

Metal discs 31 and 32 are disposed against the inside faces of the legs 27 and 28, respectively, adjacent the free ends of the latter, and are secured to the related legs by central projections 33 and 34 and by projections 35 and 36 which are radially offset from the related central projections, such projections 33, 34, 35 and 36 being received in suitable apertures provided in the related legs 27 and 28.

view of the dry shaving discs 45 is provided with a The inner or confronting faces of the discs 31 and 32 are formed with annular projections which are received in suitable corresponding annular recesses in the outer faces of related rings 37 and 38 so that the rings 37 and 38 are rotatably mounted on the discs 31 and 32, respectively.

The inner surface of the ring 37, that is, the surface facing in the direction toward the ring 38, is formed with a circularly arranged, spaced apart series of recesses 39 (Fig. 3) which are preferably semi-spherical, for a purpose hereinafter described in detail.

The rings 37 and 38 are pressed into the opposite end portions of "a hollow cylindrical member 40 which, with the rings 37 and 38, form a roller in the dry shaving razor 20. In order to provide increased frictional contact between the roller and the skin surface over which the razor is passed, rubber rings 41 and 42 (Fig. 2), preferably of thin material, are provided on the outer surface of the hollow cylindrical member 40 adjacent the opposite ends of the latter.

The cutting unit of the dry shaving razor 20 includes an axially arranged series of steel cutting discs 45 which are mounted upon an axle 43 so as to be axially movable relative to the latter while being constrained to turn with the axle 43. For this purpose, each of the cutting keyway 43" (Figs. 3 and 4) slidably receiving a key 43 (Figs. 2 and 3) which is carried by the axle 43.

The axle 43 is rotatably mounted, adjacent its opposite ends, in suitable axial bores provided in the discs 31 and 32, with the series of cutting discs 45 being disposed within the cylindrical member 40 between the rings 37 and 38.

As seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the cylindrical member 40 of the roller is provided with a plurality of circumferentially extending rows of openings, a row of openings being provided for each of the cutting discs 45 of the cutting unit. Further, the openings inthe member 40 are larger, both in the axial and circumferential directions, than the portions of the cylindrical member between said openings.

The end of the axle 33 extending through disc 32 has a knob 44 (Fig. 2) fixed thereon and by which the axle 43 and the cutting discs 45 can be turned as a unit within the cylindrical roller member 40. The outer diameters of the steel cutting discs 45 are only slightly less than the inner diameter of the cylindrical member 40, and the opposite side edges 46 (Fig. 4) of each disc 45, at the periphery thereof, are sharpened to define cutting edges adapted to cooperate with the cylindrical member 40 in cutting hairs that extend through the openings of the member 40 when the cutting discs are axially reciprocated relative to the cylindrical member 40.

In order to effect axial reciprocation of the series of cutting discs 45 in response to rotation of the roller formed by the cylindrical member 40 and the rings 37 and 38, two circular plates 47 and 48 are also mounted upon the axle 43 adjacent the opposite ends of the axially arranged series of cutting discs 45, and the plates 47 and 48 are also free to be axially displaced relative to the axle. The circular plate 47 which is disposed between the ring 37 and the adjacent end cutting disc 45, is provided, on its surface facing toward the ring 37, with two diametrically opposed, preferably semi-spherical projections 49 and 50 (Fig. 2) adapted to engage in the recesses 39 of the ring 37. A helical compression spring 51 is disposed axially between the plate 48 and the adjacent end cutting disc so that the plate 48 is urged axially against the adjacent ring 38, while the cutting discs 45 and the plate 47 are urged axially in the direction to ward the ring 37. Thus, as the roller is rotated by movement across the skin'- surface, the ring 37 rotates relative to the plate 47, whereby the projections 49 and 50 move in and out of the recesses 39 in the ring 37. As the projections 49 and 50 are successively received in, and then forced out of, recesses 39 of the ring 37, the plate 47 and the series of cutting discs 45 are axially reciprocated on the axle 43 and relative to the hollow cylindrical member 40 of the roller. Thus, during each a-xialdisplacement of the cutting unit,- all of the hair extending through the openings of member 40 will be cut by the reciprocated cutting discs 45.

By manually turning the knob 44, it is possible to vary the peripheral portions of the cutting discs 45 which are effective to cooperate with the member 40 in providing the described cutting action so that the Wear upon the cutting edges 46 can thereby be made uniform to extend the useful operating life of the razor. Further, in order to avoid rotation of the axle 43, and hence also of the cutting discs 45, during rotation of the cylindrical member 40, a detent or ball 44' (Fig. 2) is urged by a spring 44" received in a bore of the disc 32, into a selected one of a circularly arranged series of recesses formed in the inner radial face of the knob 44.

Finally, in order to avoid axial removal of the axle 43 from its operative position, a collar or ring 52 is provided on the axle 43 and is received within an annular recess in the inner face of the disc 32.

Although an illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawing, itis to be understood that the invention is not limited to that particular embodiment,

'4 v and that various modifications and changes may be effected therein without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention, except as defined in the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A dry shaving razor comprising a handle, a hollow roller mounted on said handle for rotation about its longitudinal axis and having openings therein which are larger, both in the axial and circumferential directions, than the portions of said roller between said openings, a series of axially aligned cutting discs disposed inside said roller and movable relative to the latter, mechanism axially reciprocating said cutting discs relative to said roller in response to rotation of the latter, and means for angularly adjusting said series of cutting discs about the axis of said roller so that the portions of the periphcries of said cutting discs cooperating with the roller to provide a shaving action can be varied thereby to provide uniform wear on said cutting discs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,120,239 Burgeson June 14, 1938 2,286,443 Scully June 16, 1942 2,354,657 Arey Aug. 1, 1944 2,365,861 Bronder Dec. 26, 1944- FOREIGN PATENTS 523,032 Great Brita-in a July 3, 1940 523,492 Great Britain July 16, 1940 

